This week sees Earth Day celebrations world wide- we have already announced that we shall be holding a stall on Saturday 27th April to recognise this important day in our calendar and to provide information on various campaigns.

So, if you are in Gibraltar please come and see us –we shall be outside the Cathedral of St Mary the Crowned between 11am to 1pm. Many of you will know that the ESG follows local and regional environmental issues year round and so we shall have information to hand on matters that may well interest you. Members can renew subs and pick up forms, and we shall also be recruiting volunteers for this year’s Clean up the World.

This week, we also mentioned that Saturday will see us launch an information campaign on the question of electromagnetic radiation primarily from mobile phone masts. Over the years we have been contacted by members of the public regarding the installation of these masts near their homes, and certainly, within the last year, the DPC has witnessed an exponential rise in mobile phone mast applications which motivated us to raise these concerns with the Gibraltar Government via the relevant Ministers. There is currently a moratorium on the setting up of new mobile phone masts while the matter is undergoing a comprehensive review.

Our concerns lie on the proliferation and power of these masts in general, and near residential areas, schools and hospitals in particular. There are also concerns over the monetary incentives used by operators to overcome health fears as well as the ability of landlords, developers etc. to impose these masts on home owners who might not own the exterior walls of their own property due to the nature of blocks and management community structures. We are advocating for lower mast emission levels than presently enforced under European law and for the application of the Precautionary Principle, which, in this case, and in our view, should include a minimum distance criteria, setting masts away from sensitive areas and ensuring through legislation and monitoring, that emission levels are maintained the lowest possible while providing a good service.

We will also present information on Saturday on personal use of electronic devices, which are a matter of choice. The masts, however, are a community issue that people individually cannot make a choice about and are of concern to communities worldwide.

So, if you wish to find out more on this and other environmental issues come and visit our stall, this coming Saturday, the 27th April, outside the Cathedral on Main Street, between 11am and 1pm. Also visit our website: esg-gib.net for more information.

Thanks for listening.